The ocean environment is considered a crucial resource for green and sustainable energy. By one estimate, ocean waves alone within US territorial waters can produce 2,100 TWh per year, the equivalent of 7% of the US electricity consumption. However, not all of this energy can be harnessed in economically viable ways because of societal, political, and environmental issues. This seminar will review a “simple” but effective theoretical model to examine the extraction of wave energy by a collection of point-absorber devices. The consideration of the influence and coupling of Power-Takeoff is essential. Examples are given on “The Berkeley Wedge” as a perfect energy-absorbing breakwater and the three-dimensional dual-coaxial cylinders under model-predictive control of the damping profile. Intricate solution about a micro-scale Bach-Type turbine is also shown.

Biography:

Ronald Yeung received his BS, MS, Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in '68, '70, '73, respectively. He was the University Gold Medalist of his graduating Class. Prior to joining UCB faculty, he was an instructor at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, a ship-motion analyst at Litton Ship Systems, Culver City, CA and a faculty member in Ocean Engineering at MIT (1973-82). Recipient of numerous professional awards, he was an Australian Fulbright-Hayes Senior Scholar (1981), a Georg Weinblum Lecturer (2002-03), SNAME-Davidson Gold Medalist (2004), and Inaugural Chair endowed by the American Bureau of Shipping in Ocean Engineering (2012). In OMAE-2016, he was presented the ASME-OOAE Lifetime Achievement Award. He retired from teaching in Fall 2017 but continues on research topics of: “green ship” by design, roll-motion mitigation, alternative renewable energy from currents, waves, and tides.